How To Be Wrong: A crash course in startup success
About this ebook
Most startup advice is dangerously misguided. The mythology of the lone genius founder, the obsession with capital raising and the theatre of startup ecosystems lead countless ventures astray.
Drawing on two decades at the heart of New Zealand's most successful technology companies–Trade Me, Xero, Vend and Timely–Rowan Simpson unravels the messy reality behind familiar glossy success stories. With raw honesty and sharp analysis, he challenges conventional wisdom by sharing compelling firsthand lessons about focused execution, team building and genuine ecosystem growth.
This myth-busting guide is essential listening for founders, investors and policymakers alike. Simpson demonstrates that embracing uncertainty, recognising patterns and learning quickly from mistakes are not just steps on the path to success–they are the path itself.
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About the author
Rowan Simpson has been at the heart of New Zealand’s most successful technology companies. As a founding team member at Trade Me and Xero, and later as an investor and advisor to such companies as Vend and Timely, he has witnessed first-hand how great companies are built and helped shape a generation of high-growth businesses. Simpson’s writing challenges conventional thinking about startups and startup ecosystems, drawing on two decades of experience.
How To Be Wrong is his first book.
